Introduction: Coffee and a Movie - IPhone Stand

There are some pretty clever ideas for making a stand for your iPhone, iPod Touch, PSP or other small media device. Unfortunately, I didn't think to look any of them up before I left on a recent flight.

Living in the Midwest, it's 2 1/2 to 3 hours to fly virtually everywhere. This is the perfect amount of time for a movie, and since I've gotten myself an iPhone I have a great device to view a cinematic distraction. The ever-present question is, of course, who wants to hold their iPhone in front of themselves for hours?

I found the solution was quite literally in front of my nose. With a little judicious rip-and-tear, I created an easy to make, recyclable stand that I can actually procure once I'm past the TSA checkpoint.

In this Instructable, I will show you one way to modify the humble coffee cup sleeve into the perfect accessory for the caffeinated traveler.

Step 1: First Step - Grab a Hot Beverage

Obviously, this little gem can be used just about anywhere. But for the sake of the Instructable, we'll demonstrate this from the cramped quarters of coach class on an Airbus 319.

First, wait for your coffee to cool down a bit so you can drink your double half-caff no-foam mocha bravisimo colada-chino without burning your hands.

Then slide off the sleeve and prepare to rip-and-tear.

Depending on the source of your coffee delight, you may want to remove the tab that sticks up so that the upper surface is uniform.

Next, you are going to want to rip the large notch shown by the dotted line.

A couple things to pay attention to:
1) Starting from the left side of the photo, I tore horizontally about an inch. This will end up being the width of the "chin" that holds your player upright.

2) Make the turn upwards, then the upper bow. The size of the upper bow will determine how stable your device is...to sharp of a bow, and the device sits higher.

3) After the bow, head down to a spot just past the midpoint of the lower surface.

The actual dimensions will need to be adjusted depending on how thick your device is, and how much of an angle you want to set.

(Less vertical angles for Coach, First Class might require a shallower angle once you've reclined.)

Step 2: Whew! What a Workout!

Alright, well...we're done. You should end up with something that, once you turn it upside down, looks like the photo. Years of research went into developing this design and this means that the big side of the sleeve (the "top" of the sleeve in coffee mode) should end up on the bottom, creating a wider base for a better finished project.

Simply invert the sleeve, squeeze it to it's usual expanded position and then place your device in it as shown.

The paper doll construction method does a pretty fair job of ensuring your new iPhone holder holds your device level. Sit back, enjoy your coffee and your movies, podcasts or slideshows.